sunblaze
New member
- Jul 10, 2014
- 51
- 0
- Parrots
- Merlin - Sun Conure
Albus - Blue Crown Conure
Hey guys, can i just start by saying that i am an experienced handler, i've had birds my whole life, well most of it i haven't owned one for about 5 years now and i have decided the time is finally right to get one again. The bird that i've chosen is one I've been a long time admirer of the beautiful sun conure, now i already knew a lot about the breed having nearly bought one a few times but even so i have been in full research mode every evening trying to gather as much information as possible and now it is time to test that knowledge, i placed a deposit on my new baby the other day she is still being hand reared and won't be ready for another 3 weeks so in the meantime i have been preparing her new home and preparing my life for the sudden change. i think i'm ready for my new bundle of screams =) but even so i wanted to see if there was anything i had missed or any last bits of advice people had, i will go into detail on what i have done so far.
The Cage: i have bought the biggest cage i could afford which is pretty big, (measurements below) it's more than the recommended size for a conure, is made from a non toxic alloy that is safe for birds, the bar spacing isn't too wide and it has a removable shelf to help keep it clean.
measurements: H160cm W100cm D75cm bar spacing 1.5cm
Diet: i intend on feeding her a mixture of pellets and whatever food her current carers have her on eventually weaning her onto pellets, these will be accompanied by plenty of fresh greens, mainly vegetables though i have bought a hanging skewer to hang pierced fruit off as a an extra to her pellets and vegetables, broccili and green beans etc are good sources of vitamin k which is needed in a conure diet to prevent CBS. I have a cuttlebone for that extra bit of calcium and some omega fish oils to be fed bi weekly. my chinchilla isnt allowed to drink tap water so i got him a filter jug, i'm not sure if tap water is harmful to birds so she'll be having filtered too just to be on the safe side.
Toys!!! =) ok now i understand how important lots of toys are, without overcrowding her cage obviously, also how important it is to rotate and add new toys to keep stimulation going especially when me and my partner are in work. I have purchased an array of shredding, foraging, gnawing, climbing and puzzle toys to keep her happy when we're not around, she also has a bird bath, mister bottle, dab digital radio, a selection of different sized perches so that all areas of her feet are exercised ... the list goes on... and on
Routine: now this is where i differ from most bird owners, i am not a big fan of routines as a disrupt in a well established routine can be very stressful for a bird that's had consistency it's whole life while a bird that has never been bound to a strict schedule is better adapted to change and less effected by this, now of course everyone is entitled to raise their birds however they see fit and for some the routine works but for me sadly it would not, my job is shift work that can range between 4am starts to 4am finishes within the same week, i have however had my hours reduced lately so that i am only working 3 days a week and my partner does 2 24 hour sleep ins a week, so the only time the bird would truly have a long day to itself would be on the occasion we are both working the same day usually no more than 2-3 times a month max. i will try to keep to a loose schedule such as breakfast and bath in the morning and out of cage time before and after work, i have a bird blanket for making sure she gets enough sleep i know conures especially young ones need between 10 and 12 hours a night.
Safety: i have spent most of this week trying to bird proof my living room and bedroom, the 2 main rooms the bird will be spending time in, removing hazardous objects, tidying cables away, covering power points, i have even had 2 small aviary panels made that can be locked onto my living room windows so that we can still have the windows open when the bird is out of her cage, one point i would like some advice on is wing clipping?? i have never done it before but am considering having it done just the once while she is still getting used to me and the initial bond is being made, advice welcomed.
anyway that's a brief rundown of what i've been doing to prepare my new birds arrival, as i said earlier i have really done my homework so please no need for comments about the birds noise level or common characteristics though any personal experiences you've had with your own conures are very much welcome. happy thursday =D x
The Cage: i have bought the biggest cage i could afford which is pretty big, (measurements below) it's more than the recommended size for a conure, is made from a non toxic alloy that is safe for birds, the bar spacing isn't too wide and it has a removable shelf to help keep it clean.
measurements: H160cm W100cm D75cm bar spacing 1.5cm
Diet: i intend on feeding her a mixture of pellets and whatever food her current carers have her on eventually weaning her onto pellets, these will be accompanied by plenty of fresh greens, mainly vegetables though i have bought a hanging skewer to hang pierced fruit off as a an extra to her pellets and vegetables, broccili and green beans etc are good sources of vitamin k which is needed in a conure diet to prevent CBS. I have a cuttlebone for that extra bit of calcium and some omega fish oils to be fed bi weekly. my chinchilla isnt allowed to drink tap water so i got him a filter jug, i'm not sure if tap water is harmful to birds so she'll be having filtered too just to be on the safe side.
Toys!!! =) ok now i understand how important lots of toys are, without overcrowding her cage obviously, also how important it is to rotate and add new toys to keep stimulation going especially when me and my partner are in work. I have purchased an array of shredding, foraging, gnawing, climbing and puzzle toys to keep her happy when we're not around, she also has a bird bath, mister bottle, dab digital radio, a selection of different sized perches so that all areas of her feet are exercised ... the list goes on... and on
Routine: now this is where i differ from most bird owners, i am not a big fan of routines as a disrupt in a well established routine can be very stressful for a bird that's had consistency it's whole life while a bird that has never been bound to a strict schedule is better adapted to change and less effected by this, now of course everyone is entitled to raise their birds however they see fit and for some the routine works but for me sadly it would not, my job is shift work that can range between 4am starts to 4am finishes within the same week, i have however had my hours reduced lately so that i am only working 3 days a week and my partner does 2 24 hour sleep ins a week, so the only time the bird would truly have a long day to itself would be on the occasion we are both working the same day usually no more than 2-3 times a month max. i will try to keep to a loose schedule such as breakfast and bath in the morning and out of cage time before and after work, i have a bird blanket for making sure she gets enough sleep i know conures especially young ones need between 10 and 12 hours a night.
Safety: i have spent most of this week trying to bird proof my living room and bedroom, the 2 main rooms the bird will be spending time in, removing hazardous objects, tidying cables away, covering power points, i have even had 2 small aviary panels made that can be locked onto my living room windows so that we can still have the windows open when the bird is out of her cage, one point i would like some advice on is wing clipping?? i have never done it before but am considering having it done just the once while she is still getting used to me and the initial bond is being made, advice welcomed.
anyway that's a brief rundown of what i've been doing to prepare my new birds arrival, as i said earlier i have really done my homework so please no need for comments about the birds noise level or common characteristics though any personal experiences you've had with your own conures are very much welcome. happy thursday =D x
